SEN Support: Questions To Ask The Experts

1. Questions for a medical professional: health visitor, GP, paediatrician, speech & language therapist, occupational therapist, education psychologist, CAMHS

• I’m worried about the development/well-being of my child. I think they may need extra support. 
• How do I know if my child’s development/behaviour is ‘normal’?
• How do I know if my child has a ‘special educational need’?
• Does my child need to be assessed? What assessments are available? How do I access them? How long does it take? Can I get them done privately? What do I do once I’ve got the reports back? 
• What do I do next to support my child?
• How do we, as a family, meet their needs at home?
• My child has high levels of anxiety. How long do I have to wait for a CAMHS referral?

2. Questions for your child's education provider: nursery workers, teachers, teaching assistants, learning support assistants, SENCO or SENDCO, extra-curricular such as sports coach, dance instructor

• Is my child meeting their targets? 
• Are they making similar progress to their peers?
• Are they meeting age-related expectations?
• Do they have friends? Can they form relationships?
• How do they respond to instructions?
• What extra support do they need? When will that be put in place?
• My child's been put on the SEN register. What does that mean?
• The school have put support in place, but my child is still not making progress. What happens next?
• My SENCO is talking about an EHC assessment – what does that mean?
• My SENCO says there’s no point applying for an EHCP, but I disagree. Can I apply myself, or does it have to go through a school?
• I’ve been advised to consider moving my child to a special school. Where do I find information about potential schools in my area?
• What’s a maintained school?
• My child has coped well in a mainstream primary school, but I’m really worried about the transition to secondary school. What can I do?

3. Questions for your local authority*: SENDIASS team, EHCP coordinator, SEND case worker, SEND case manager, Director of Children’s Services (*terminology differs between local authorities)

• How do I apply for an EHCP?
• What does the process involve?
• What’s my role in the process?
• How long does it take?
• What does local offer mean?
• Can I look at schools outside of my local authority?
• What happens if I disagree with information in the EHCP?
• What do I do if I disagree with the school named in the EHCP and I want my child to go to a different school?
• Does the school have to accept my child once they’ve been sent the EHCP?
• Despite my appeals, the local authority has named a school on the EHCP that I feel can’t meet my child’s needs. Can I challenge the decision?
• My child’s needs have changed. How do I get the EHCP amended to reflect those changes?
• Does an EHCP get reviewed? How often? By whom? Who’s responsible for organising a review? 

4. Questions for other professionals: social worker, case worker, key worker, early help/early intervention, multi-agency team, children’s services

• Is there additional help/support available that best meets the needs of my family? How do I access it?
• Can we access support for other family members?
• My child often has meltdowns once they get home from school, and their siblings struggle to cope. How do I manage this?
• How do we cope with a child who lashes out when dysregulated?
• I’m really worried about how vulnerable my child is and that someone may take advantage of this. Where do I go for help with keeping them safe?
• Is residential care an option?